Circle's Test Wiki:Manual of Style
This policy explains how articles should be written and formatted. General All articles must be written in English. Style of writing Use formal language. For example, instead of saying "it gets really hot", say "it becomes very hot". Avoid contracted words (such as can't, there's or we're). Do not use colloquialisms. Do not use leet speak or any other forms of informal language. Avoid rhetorical questions or sarcasm. Only use exclaimation marks in quotations. Write in the third person. Aim to use the correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Anyone can make mistakes when it comes to spelling, punctuation and grammar, but volunteers should aim to be accurate as often as possible. Level of detail required Circle's Test Wiki articles should be written so that they are understandable to a non-specialist reader. Assume that the reader has no prior knowledge of the subject, but has a reasonable understanding of English. Bear in mind that people from all around the world will read articles. Many will speak English as a second language. Any technical vocabulary should be explained. Use literal language Do not use metaphors or synonyms. For example, instead of writing "the lion's share", write "the majority". Avoid Weasle Words Weasle words give the impression that a fact is backed up by authority when this is not the case. Examples * Some people say... * It could be said... * It is thought that... * It is widely believed that... * Campaigners say that... * Research has found that... * It is known that... Article length The goal article length should be between 250 and 7000 words of readable prose. Articles that are too short The following approach should be taken: #The best solution is to add content. Only add content which can be supported with a good quality reference. #If there are multiple short articles on a related topic and these cannot be made any longer, merge them. #If there are too few sources available on the subject to write a sufficient length article, and no articles which it can be merged into, then the article should be nominated for deletion. Articles that are too long Content should be removed in the following order: #Statements where no relaible source can be found to support it. #Content that does not relate directly to the topic (this may be moved to an article on the subject). #Content that is repeated either within the article or in a different article #Words which introduce bias (for example, 'unfortunately" or "on a positive note") #Editorialising (for example "interestingly" or "as a matter of fact") #Weasle words #Lenghly quotes After this has been done, check the article length again. If the article is still too long, consider splitting it. Units of Measure International System of Units (SI) units should be used. For scientific articles, specialist units of measurement may be used in addition to SI units (for example, degrees Kelvin) or if there is no relevant SI unit. Imperial measurements may be given in addition to SI unit measurements. For example:"it is 30cm (1 foot) tall". Words and phrases that may make articles unbalanced Following Circle's Test Wiki's point of view policy, all articles must be balanced. Words and phrases that might make an article unbalanced include: * Adjectives: fortunately, unfortunately, fantastic, excellent, amazing, awful, terrible, sadly, happily, bizarre, great, stupid, difficult, lovely. * Phrases that make the article to appear to be a product review: "A must-see film", "great for new parents", "an ideal gift for the mature woman", "perfect for traveling", " this resteraunt should be avoided", "this museum was a waste of time" "the amusment park is a rip-off". * Unattributed quotes: "The "Palestinian" boy", a "mentally ill" man, a "pro-vaccine" doctor. These imply that something is not true *Italics: a black woman, a special needs school, a former counsellor. This can give the impression that a small peice of inconsequential information is of great sgnificance. Sources and synthisis You must not copy directly from sources, unless you are quoting the source. However, when paraphrasing, aim to represent what the source says as accurately as possible. Do not cite two or more sources to create a novel interpretation or use a source for a novel interpretation. For example, a source saying that a certain month was the coldest month in 10 years should not be cited as evidence that global warming does not exist. External Links You should not add external links that have already been cited. Not every article will need an external links section. You may include a link to an offical website of the article's subject. There are many web pages that are not suitable for using in the external links section. Unsuitable links include: * Support groups or organisations offering advice on a certain issue. * Pages on an online retailer's website, such as an Amazon page for a book. * Articles on other wikis. * Blogs or personal websites. * Review sites such as Tripadvisor * Online petitions * Pressure group websites * Fundraising pages, such as GoFundMe or Paypal.me * Pages on social media sites or forums In all cases, these sites can be listed on the external links section if they are the official website of the subject of the article. For example, it would be appropriate to have the Wikipedia main page as an external link for the article on Wikipedia, but it would be inappropriate have a link to Wikipedia's article on oxygen for the oxygen article. Acronyms Do not invent acronyms. If a subject is known by an acronym, use the full name in the start of the article with the acronym next to it. For example, "Job Seeker's Allowance, often abriviated to JSA..." Quotes Care should be taken when using quotes. Only use quotes if what is being said cannot be paraphrased more concisely. Do not use lengthly quotes. All quotes must be directly related to the article. For example, a quote from a fictional book is unlikely to be relevent to an article on physics. Do not used unattributed quotes (also known as scare quotes). All quotes must say who said the quote and have a reference showing where the quote came from. category:CTW Policy